Dumping apparatus



May 13, 1941 w. E. MAHER 2,241,953

DUMPING APPARATUS Tra/MEX May 13, 1941. W E MAHER V2,241,953

DUMPING APPARATUS Patented May 13, 1941 UNITED ortie 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in dumping apparatus as appliedparticularly to motor vehicles and wagons known as dump trucks.

An object is to provide a simple and highly efficient dump truck theoperation and control of which is preferably done from and :within thedrivers cab or in other words at the drivers seat and by manuallyoperable means. The construction and operation of this improved dumptruck is such that it is possible and practical to apply and operateconsiderably larger capacity trucks than has hitherto been accomplished,so far as I am aware, entirely by manually operated means.

A feature in the construction and operation of my improved dump trucklies in the unique dump body mounting and manipulation thereof todumping position. Other features and objects are hereinafter fully setforth reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1is a side elevation lof a motor truck embodying my invention, parts ofthe truck frame broken away.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation corresponding to Fig. l but showing thedump-body in discharging position.

Fig. 3 is a top View of Fig. l; showing the dump-body and cab of thetruck in dotted lines only to more clearly reveal the operatingmechanisms.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of a truck embodying my improvement, or a righthand end View of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, like charactersdesignate corresponding parts in the various views, I have illustratedmy device as embodied on a motor truck, of which 5 are the front wheels,6 the rear (drive) wheels, 'I the main frame, 8 the motor housing, and 9the drivers cab with seat Ill.

II designates any suitable type of dump-body, shown as a metal bodyextending rearwardly from the cab, parallel to and over the main frameand being normally, for load conveying purposes, in the horizontalposition shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the rear end of thev body usuallyextending rearward of the truck frame. Y IIA (in Figs. 1 and 4)designates the usual tail-gate.

I2 designates a pair of parallel angle-iron rails extendinglongitudinally and secured to the under side of the body I I.

For hauling purposes the body I I is of course in horizontalplane-parallel to and over the truck frame 1 at a predetermined heightand supported by the followingmeans- I3 is a pair of rack bars xed oneat the inner side of each truck frame member l approximately centrallyover the rear wheel axle, the toothed part of each said bar beinglateral to and inwardly of its member 1.

I4 is a pair of rocker members the lower arcuate face of each of whichis toothed to mesh in a rack bar I3, said two rocker members registeringhorizontally and being connected by two transverse bars ISR and IF ofwhich I5F connects the forward parts and I5R the -rear parts.Intermediate the connection bars or shafts (I5R and IEF) each rocker isformed with an upwardly directed enlargement or ear ME each bored toretain the stub shaft Il of a roller-disk l, rotatably retained in aplane longitudinal of the body and engaging the rail I2 to support theweight of the body I I.

I8 is a link bar (for each rocker) in vertical position when the truckbody is in normal carrying position, the lower part of said linkpivotally retained on shaft I5R and the upper part pivotally retained atI9 to the downwardly disposed flange of the adjacent rail I2.

20 is a pair'of link bars both normally in inclined, forwardly anddownwardly directed plane, each pivotally secured to the Vertical flangeof adjacent rail I2, forward of the roller I6, the lower (front) end ofeach link 20 pivotally connected at 2| to the outer-and forwardextremity of an inverted L-shaped (bell) crank 22. bell cranks arepivotally mounted (at their joint) on shaft ISF one adjacent the innerside of the rocker I4, the shorter arms of said bell cranks inclinedupwardly and forwardly to connections with link 20, and the longer armof both said bell cranks in downwardly and forwardly inclined plane, thehorizontally (and transversely) registering lower ends of said longerarms rigidly connected by a transverse shaft 23.

24 is a reach rod extending longitudinally forward from shaft 23 underthe cab 9 and its forward end connected at 2'I to the short arm of vanupright hand lever 25 (pivoted on a shaft 26) adjustable to any positionrelative to a toothed double rack 28.

Manipulation of the hand lever, as will presently be described causesthe truck body I I to be tilted to dumping position shown in Fig. 2 andalso replacement -of the body to original carrying position.

It must be understood, at this point, that when body II is in the normalload carrying position, the proportions` and locations of the supportingmeans and the body itself are-such that the center of gravity (or load)of the body is slightly Both said' forward of the supporting rollers IBat which time the links I8 are upright as stated and links inclined asshown.

To rigidly retain the body in said carrying position I provide further apair of upright link bars 29 each pivotally connected at 36 with itsupper end tothe flange of rail I2 near the front end of the body, thelower end of both said bars pivotally connected each to the lowerextremity of a lever 3I extending down from a transverse shaft 32journaled in two upright bearings 33 fixed on the main frame l of thetruck.

Shaft 32 has a brake drum 34 engaged by a friction brake-band 35contractible by a lever 35 actuated by a rod 3l connected to a lever 38on another transverse shaft 39. n Said latter shaft is oscillatable forbrake action by means of another hand lever 40 on shaft 2t, the lowerarm of which lever (0) is connected by means of a reach rod 4I to alever 42 on the countershaft 39.

The dumping of the truck body is accomplished c as follows, assumingthatv operating parts are all in the relative positions shown in Fig. 1.In said Fig. 1 A designates center of gravity or load center.

The operator grasps brake lever 40 and releases brake, then grasps leverand pulls it rearwardly, thus pulling reach rod 24 forwardly andlikewise the lower arm of bell crank 22. Simultaneously the upper arm ofthe bell crank pushes link 20 rearwardly with multiplied 'force movingbody II (riding on rollers I6) rearwardly until center of gravity isrearward of rollers I6. The same rearward movement causes links I8 totilt rearwardly and downwardly also causing rear part of truck body totilt downwardly and the rearwardly and downwardly moving parts involvedcauses the rockers to tilt rearwardly to the discharging position shownin Fig. 2, the rollers I6 meanwhile maintaining rolling contact A withthe rails.

Obviously such rearward movement to the discharge position, raises thefront end of the body such latter movement bringing the link bars 29 andlevers 3| toy the positions shown in Fig. 2 in following the movement ofthe front end of the body. The speed of tilting and discharging movementmay of course be controlled by brake lever manipulation directly actingon the front end of the body through levers 3 I- and links 29.

The dump body is then readily returned to carrying position by firstreleasing brake. Then vlever 25 is pulled rearward, reach rod 2@ andbell cranks 22 raising and pulling the body forward until the center o-fgravity of the body is again over and slightly ahead of the rollers I6.At this time the levers 22 and reach rod 24 are broken downwardly belowa straight line and lever 25 is pushed forward again to the originalposition shown in Fig. 1, said latter pushing action of the lever 25causing reach rod 24 to move rearward and its rear end pushing the lowerends of the bell crank (long arms) rearward below fulcrum 'I5F thuscausing links 2i! to pull forward and bring ythe body II forward toposition ready for receiving another load. During this replacement ofthe truck body the rockers I4 are of course rocked back 'to originalposition and the links I8 brought back to original upright positionsupporting the rear p-art of the body. Then the brake is again set tofurther hold the body in position.

vObviously the brake can be used to allow the dump body t'o tiltgradually or even to provide jerky tilting action for purposes wellknown and 1including the purpose of providing jerking ofthe porting thebody,

body to loosen all gravel or other substance to be dumped out of theopen end of the truck body.

Modifications in details of construction may be embodied includingproportions of which no attempt has been made to specify in detail ordeemed necessary. It is clear` that with proper leverages themanipulation of hand lever 25 provides ample means for initial rearwardmovement of a heavily lo-aded body and after movement rearward until thecenter of gravity is past the supporting rollers the very weight of thebody facilitates rearward and downward movement, rocking of the rockermembers, and tilting of the body to discharging position.

From experiments made it has been determined that dump truck bodies ofheavy capacity can be dumped by the means herein described, thuseliminating the need of any power take-off from the engine of the truck.

43 in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 designates a simple form of device for limitingmovement of the rockers, namely a rod pivotally secured with one end inthe rear part of the rocker and extending slidably down through anaperture in rack I3 and below the latter formed with a head 43H. Anyequivalent thereof may be used.

I claim:

1. In a dumping apparatus including longitudinal main frame members, adumping body pivotally supported over the frame to tilt and move thebody simultaneously, to inclined discharge position; a pair of parallelrails fixed longitudinally to -t-he under side of said body, a rackrailon each main frame member near the rear end, a pair of rigidly connectedand transversely registering rocker members, toothed to mesh with saidracks, a roller member in the upper part of each rocker engaging each arail and supporting 4the body, a link member rearward of each rollernormally in vertical position and pivotally connected to the rocker andto a rail and 'said links normally vertical to support the body in loadcarrying position, said body proportioned and positioned for c-arryingwith its center of gravity ahead of said roller supports, lever andreach rod means connected .to the front ends of said rockers andarranged Ito initially move the body rearwardly until its center ofgravity is rearward of said rollers and the said link supports therebytilted rearwardly to initially lower the discharge end of the body andstart tilting of .the rockers and body rearwardly, simultaneously.

2. The structure specied in claim 1, and a brake `mechanism connected tothe forward part of the .body to control movement vof the dump body orhold it in any desired position, said mechanism including acoun-tershaft mounted in spaced relation to .the front end of the body,a brake drum en said shaft, a brake band engaging said drum, a lever onsaid shaft, reachrods connecting said lever and the body and arranged tovbe expanded or `contracted according to move- Vment of the body, andmanually operated means to apply or release said brake.

3. In a dump truck Vcomprising a wheel supported main frame includingtwo parallel frame channels, a dump bodynormally in horizontal positionparallel to `and over said channels, a pair of rigidly connected rockermembers geared to and movable longitudinally in said frame channels,longitudinal rails fon the under side of 'said body, vertically disposedrollers on the `said rocker members engaging said rails and supauxiliaryload supporting means comprising a pair of links connecting the rockermembers to the adjacent rails rearward of the rollers, a pair offorwardly and downwardly inclined links the upper ends of which aresecured one to each rail forward of .the roller, a pair of bell cranklevers pivotally mounted on a transverse shaft connecting the forwardends of said rockers, the said bell cranks having each a short armnormally directed in upwardly inclined lplane forwardly and itsextremity connected to the forward ends of said inclined links, thelower and longer arm of eac-h -said bell crank directed in an inclinedplane forwardly, manually operatable lever and reach rod means connectedto the extremity of both of said lower bell-crank arms to initially tiltthe bell cranks and move said inclined links rearwardly to roll the bodyrearwardly on said rollers, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a dumping device of the class described, a main frame including apair of parallel rails, a pair of upwardly exposed racks on said rails,a

pair of dump-body supporting rocker members each with a toothed arcuateface engaging a rack, a dump-body over said rack members and a pair oflongitudinal rails on the under side of said body, a roller rotatablymounted in the upper kpart of each rocker member and engaging a rail tosupport the dump body, auxiliary body supporting means comprisingtiltable links connecting the upper parts of said rocker members and theunderside of the body and positioned rearwardly of and ahead of saidroller supporting means, said rocker members adapted to rock on theracks in conformity with the lateral movement of the body, means formoving the body rearward initially on said rollers until the bulk of theload -is rearward of said rollers and the body assumes by gravity aninclined discharge position with its rear end in spaced relationrearward of said main frame.

WILLIANI E. MAHER.

